Demand Secretary of State John Kerry's Resignation
I signed...I hope you all do too.
Sen. Cruz: Sec. Kerry Should Offer President Obama His Resignation;
The President Should Accept It
Calls for resignation following Secretary Kerry’s remarks that
Israel could become an “apartheid state”
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today spoke on the Senate floor to
call for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s resignation following the
secretary’s comments at the Trilateral Commission that Israel could
become an “apartheid state” if his proposed two-state solution to the
peace Israeli-Palestinian peace-process fails.
“There
is no place for this word in the context of the State of Israel. The
term ‘apartheid’ means ‘apart’—different, isolated—the state of the
victims of apartheid with which the Jews are all too familiar. The
notion that Israel would go down that path, and so face the same
condemnation that met South Africa, is unconscionable. The United
States should be aggressively asserting that Israel can never be made an
apartheid nation while America exists, because America will be with
Israel regardless of the status of any diplomatic process.
“The
fact that Secretary Kerry sees nothing wrong with making such a
statement on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day demonstrates a
shocking lack of sensitivity to the incendiary and damaging nature of
his rhetoric. It is my belief that Secretary Kerry has thus proven
himself unsuitable for his position and that before any further harm is
done to our alliance with Israel, he should offer President Obama his
resignation and the President should accept it.”
Sen.
Cruz was one of three U.S. Senators to vote against Secretary Kerry’s
nomination, citing his belief that as Secretary of State, John Kerry
would place what he considered to be the wishes of the international
community above the national security interests of the United States.
Video of Sen. Cruz’s remarks may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbC24Lwf4Gg
The full text of Sen. Cruz’s prepared remarks is below:
Every
member of this body has expressed our commitment for the United States
to stand resolutely with our friend and ally the Nation of Israel.
Doing so is right, and it is overwhelmingly in the national security
interests of the United States.
It
was therefore with great sadness that I read this morning about the
comments of Secretary of State John Kerry, who reportedly suggested at
the Trilateral Commission that Israel could become an “apartheid state”
if his proposed two-state solution to the peace Israeli-Palestinian
peace-process fails.
Secretary
Kerry has long experience in foreign policy, and he should understand
that words matter. “Apartheid” is inextricably associated with one of
the worst examples of state-sponsored discrimination in recent
memory—the apartheid system in South Africa that was ultimately brought
down by the heroic resistance of Nelson Mandela inside the country,
supported by a concerted campaign of diplomatic and economic sanctions
by the international community.
There
is no place for this word in the context of the State of Israel. The
term “apartheid” means “apart”—different, isolated—the state of the
victims of apartheid with which the Jews are all too familiar. The
notion that Israel would go down that path, and so face the same
condemnation that met South Africa, is unconscionable. The United
States should be aggressively asserting that Israel can never be made an
apartheid nation while America exists, because America will be with
Israel regardless of the status of any diplomatic process.
Fifteen
months ago—almost to the day—John Kerry was confirmed by the Senate by a
vote of 94-3. Despite my preference for giving the President the
cabinet members of his choice, I found I could not join the vast
majority of my colleagues and support his nomination because I was
convinced that as Secretary of State, John Kerry would place what he
considered to be the wishes of the international community above the
national security interests of the United States. I fear with these
most-recent ill-chosen remarks, Secretary Kerry has proven those
concerns well founded. Rather than focusing on our clear national
security interest—which is continuing to guarantee Israel’s security
through our unquestionable commitment to it—Secretary Kerry has
repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to countenance a world where
Israel is made a pariah because it will not sacrifice its security to
his diplomatic initiatives. It is no wonder that Israel’s Defense
Minister remarked in January that “The only thing that can save us is
for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace.”
The
fact that Secretary Kerry sees nothing wrong with making such a
statement on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day demonstrates a
shocking lack of sensitivity to the incendiary and damaging nature of
his rhetoric. Mr. President, it is my belief that Secretary Kerry has
thus proven himself unsuitable for his position and that before any
further harm is done to our alliance with Israel, he should offer
President Obama his resignation and the President should accept it.
Click on link to sign the petition:
http://act.theteaparty.net/15226/demand-secretary-state-john-kerrys-resignation/